Käsespätzle in the eco-test: vegetarian dish bad for animal welfare - and partly contaminated

Although Käsespätzle are a vegetarian product, animals die for it.

Öko-Test also found some questionable ingredients in the 20 cheese spaetzle tested.

In terms of taste, the customer does not notice any of this.

The positive first: all cheese spaetzle tested were hygienically perfect.

Öko-Test also found the taste of all 20 products to be consistent - regardless of whether the product cost EUR 3.63 or just EUR 0.96.

In terms of appearance, the cheese spaetzle from the cooling shelf can hardly be distinguished from home-made ones: in the pan, they turn “cream-colored to golden-yellow”, praise the testers. 

So the choice of spaetzle doesn't make a big difference in terms of enjoyment - but it does make a difference in terms of ingredients and means of production.

Overall, only two of the 20 cheese spaetzle tested received the rating “very good”. 

Käsespätzle put to the test: Öko-Test finds mineral oil and pesticides

The laboratory test was able to detect contamination with mineral oil in five cases. The eco-testers rate this contamination with saturated mineral oil hydrocarbons as "slightly increased". The substances are dangerous because they can accumulate in organs - for example in the liver. How did these substances get into the product? According to Öko-Test, the most obvious route would be grease on devices through which the mineral oil found its way into the cheese spaetzle.

The testers also found pesticides in three products. Öko-Test names the product

Dehlerhof Schwäbische Spätzle,

in which the laboratory was able to detect glyphosate - actually a weed killer. 

Ulmer Frisch Nudel Spatz scraped spaetzle

contained pirimiphosmethyl, an insecticide - and in

Schmid

's

No.1 Fresh Gutshof-Spätzle

showed up both pollutants according to the laboratory result.

Öko-Test admits that the values ​​found are very low, but raises concerns that “it is better not to put such questionable substances in food.” Glyphosate, for example, is considered to be “probably carcinogenic”. 

Käsespätzle: Öko-Test advises you to pay attention to salt intake

Although not a pollutant, the amount of salt that some products contain is not harmless to health.

According to the testers at

our home fresh egg spaetzle, Ulmer fresh noodle sparrow scraped spaetzle and Alb Gold gourmet spaetzle

, it was 1.1 grams of salt per 100 grams

. 

Those who frequently consume too much salt risk high blood pressure and secondary diseases.

These include cardiovascular diseases, which often appear with a delay.

Cheese spaetzle in the test: This is why animals die for the vegetarian product

The testers take a critical view of the eggs used in production.

Because male chicks die for everyone.

In addition, only a fraction of the cheese spaetzle contains eggs from species-appropriate husbandry.

And that even though cheese spaetzle consists of around 25 percent eggs.

Öko-Test generally advises consumers

to pay attention to organic or free-range eggs

that in comparison guarantees better standards for the chickens.

The purchase decision can make a big difference: Thanks to the choice of customers, there are hardly any fresh cage eggs in stores these days - those with the worst conditions for the animals.

Barn housing is better than cage housing, but it is still not species-appropriate.

However, the manufacturers do not have to label the origin of processed eggs anyway.

Öko-Test criticizes that this is "intransparent and consumer-unfriendly".

Animals die for vegetarian cheese spaetzle, as male chicks are killed by default in laying hen breeding. After all, they cannot lay eggs and are therefore unproductive. Unfortunately, that was the case with the eggs for all 20 cheese spaetzle. But there is also good news: According to the manufacturer, six of the products tested will only contain eggs without killing chicks by 2022. The federal government is also planning a corresponding draft law for Germany. Incidentally, the test

winners

from Öko-Test are

Bio Verde Fresh Egg Spätzle from

Isana Naturfeinkost and

Hilcona Spätzlini.

Alternatively, consumers can simply make their own cheese spaetzle - with organic or free-range eggs, of course.